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Dror Nissan

Unity is corrupt

National unity governments constitute recipe for corruption, threat to democracy

Benjamin Netanyahu can form a government comprising 65 Knesset members along with Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism, National Union, and Habayit Hayehudi. This is the conclusion of the election results and a reasonable and logical realization of the voters’ wishes. However, Netanyahu is interested in a unity government with Kadima and Labor, in addition to his natural coalition partners, of course.

 

Therefore, we must ask the following questions: Why do we even hold elections around here, and what is left, if at all, of democracy in general and of our political system in particular? After all, the story starts and ends, time after time, by equally dividing government portfolios among coalition partners and with an agreed upon plunder of the government loot by parties that are in fact supposed to engage in ideological wrestling with each other.

 

Therefore, why are they turning to the voters – between one unity government and another – and creating the false impression of a fateful contest between divergent views?

 

National unity governments are a rare political recipe that does not exist in most enlightened states, including ones that must cope with social schisms. Therefore, there is something almost mystical about the fondness many Israelis hold towards unity governments and the support they enjoy time after time, according to public opinion polls at least.

 

The Israeli yearning for political unity is premised on a naïve, irrational, and blatantly anti-political belief that this would also mean “national unity” where we all sit together and promote many issues that narrow governments seemingly find difficult to advance, due to the constant opposition ambush. However, the history of unity governments in Israel shows us the exact opposite: Unity gives rise to mutual neutralization and lack of progress, while the Right tends to be much more restrained within the confines of a narrow government.

 

The first true government of national unity formed here was the Shamir-Peres one, established in 1984. On the diplomatic front, Peres signed the London Agreement with Jordan’s King Hussein behind Shamir and Rabin’s back. In response, Shamir rejected the agreement. Yet after forming a narrow government, Shamir himself led Israel to the Madrid Conference. On the security front, Rabin led a firm hand policy in the territories and the Intifada raged on. Likud’s Moshe Arens, who replaced Rabin in Shamir’s narrow government, led a liberal policy and even supported an IDF withdrawal from Gaza.

 

Another “achievement” by the Shamir-Peres government was the “stinking deal” where Peres joined forces with Aryeh Deri, and the two proceeded to make the entire public sick and tired of the political establishment and dragged Israel into the direct elections adventure, which we withdrew from since then.

 

Meanwhile, in 1992 Rabin formed a narrow government that put an end to the Intifada, signed the Oslo Accords, and invested immense sums of money in education and national infrastructure.

 

Rule of law threatened

The two Sharon-led unity governments were characterized by shattered ties with the Palestinian Authority, the elimination of the main Palestinian leadership cadre, Hamas’ rise, monarchical conduct by Sharon and his sons, skyrocketing corruption, and the establishment of the opportunistic political venture known as Kadima. All of this happened with the active involvement of the Labor Party, whose ongoing refusal to play the role of opposition prompted it to shrink and almost evaporate.

 

As to the Olmert-led unity government, and particularly its achievement, there’s simply nothing to write home about. As to Olmert himself, you can get the latest updates in the crime section of the newspaper.

 

Unity governments constitute a tangible threat to democracy and to the rule of law. There is good reason why Israeli democracy is fragile and crisis-prone, as for many years now unity has become a permanent government recipe. In the absence of meaningful and first-rate opposition to the government, corruption and defilement knock on our door.

 

Without a parliamentary opposition umbrella, even checks and balances such as law enforcement bodies (the State Prosecutor’s Office, the courts, and the police) suffer from cowardice and no longer carry out their mission. The collapse of government systems, the absence of fear of the law, the handing over of society to crime organizations, and the overall disintegration start from the top; from the disruption of the government order.

 

We could see an example of this in the pardon granted to Shin Bet wrongdoers during the first unity government. The same was true in respect to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz’ declaration that the millions of dollars given to Gilad Sharon by David Appel for surfing the Internet were a “reasonable consultant’s fee” – and this happened while Gilad’s father was heading a wall-to-wall government.

 

The ongoing addiction to unity governments is therefore an invitation to see democracy’s collapse and society’s criminalization.

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.23.09, 00:57
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